Porter-Starke Services has announced that it will break ground this spring on a new 8,000 square foot mental health facility in Portage.

The new building, estimated at more than $1.5 million, will be located on south Willowcreek Road next to the Sterling Creek development near Porter Hospital’s Portage campus. The grand opening is tentatively set for the end of this year.

“The Board, the executive team and staff are all very excited to be taking this step,” Porter-Starke Board President Randall Zromkowski said in a press release. “We recognize the growth of Portage and the importance of having a strong mental health presence in a modern, growing community.”

Zromkowski said the expansion of the community mental health organization in Portage is not just a question about quality of life, but also about economic development “as businesses coming to town want to know that there is a full continuum of care in the community.”

Porter-Starke currently has a facility in Portage, where it leases space at 3349 Willowcreek Road. The Portage branch is staffed by 12 people.

Porter-Starke now serves about 7,000 people annually, about 10 percent of whom are Portage residents. Many of the Portage clients traveled to Porter-Starke’s other sites for their services, the agency said.

“Clearly Portage has been underserved for too long,” said Porter-Starke President and CEO David Lomaka. “Portage has been on our radar for some time, and we went through a long process of due diligence to make sure the site and scope were right.”

Lomaka said the new facility will allow Porter-Starke flexibility for expansion, offering day treatment services and other behavioral health care. In addition to its Portage site and main facility in Valparaiso, Porter-Starke has offices in Chesterton, Knox and the Aberdeen development.

Posted 3/7/2008